People gather at a mosque targeted by a bomber in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on June 21, 2013.
Heavily-armed militants have shot and killed a prominent regional Shia leader in northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, security sources say.
Local security officials say violence broke out in Peshawar when gunmen shot dead Allama Alim al-Musvi in Kissa Khwani market of the volatile city on Monday.
“Two gunmen opened fire on the scholar and escaped in the narrow streets when he came out of his house and walked towards the mosque,” media outlets quoted a local security official as saying.
Security sources said the attackers managed to flee the scene before policemen cordoned off the area.
No group or person has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-Taliban militant groups have been blamed for such sectarian attacks in the past.
Following the incident, protesters took to the streets across Peshawar and several other major cities across Pakistan to denounce the ongoing violence against Shia Muslims.
Additionally, several Shia gatherings have been targeted in different parts of the country over the past few months.
Pakistan's Taliban militants have launched a violent campaign against Shia Muslims over the past years.
According to local sources, militants affiliated to Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist groups have killed thousands of Shia Muslims in the region since the start of the campaign.
The killing of Shias in Pakistan has sparked international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the ongoing carnage. Still, those behind the violence are rarely caught or punished.
Human Rights Watch issued a statement in September asking the Pakistani government to “urgently act” to protect the Shia Muslims in Pakistan.
The country’s Shia leaders also called on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate the bloodshed.
JR/AB
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